Last weekend on May 1, Greenhills Adventure Park packed away the paddle boats, shut down the go karts and locked up the gates for the very last time. That is, until the end of this month when all of the park’s contents will be up for auction.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to snatch up a piece of Adelaide history all for themselves, and maybe even a toy or two.

For the past 33 years, the 10-hectare adventure park has been home to a generation of family memories and holiday fun. Over that time it has played host to circuses, jet ski demonstrations, even South Australia’s first ever bungee jump rig which was strung up from a crane over the lake.

Greenhills has been in Meg’s family since it was established 1983 by her parent’s Margaret and Bill Mckenzie, and their business partners Rosemary and Tom Builder.

She said that while the last hurrah weekend was a great success, it was also a reflection of changing times.

“We did have a good weekend but it was probably a little disappointing,” Meg said.

“It is really hard to plan a final day, we were so sure we were going to be flat out that we got heaps of food ready for a huge day, but I guess that's the way it is. We have had a fantastic holiday season, people have been coming from all over to celebrate the end of an era at the park”

“I think our favourite thing is just those family memories that people have. People have been coming back over the past few weeks and telling us what the park meant to them as a family. People will definitely remember us.”

The end of this era was celebrated by the staff with the help of the parks biggest fans, who made the effort to travel out for the farewell weekend.

“We had lots of positive comments about people's childhood memories of coming to the park and lots of people really wanted to be a part of the ending,” Meg said.

“We had a local Year 12 girl from Urrbrae, Amber Lockwood, who made a big cake which was unbelievable. It was about a metre by a metre and a half long and took her about 5 days and a whole lotta eggs to make!”

Greenhills Adventure Park cake made by Year 12 student Amber Lockwood. Photo taken by Meg Whibley.

Since the close, Meg and her staff have been working hard to dismantle the park in order to prepare it for a bright future as a suburban housing development. It was purchased back in 2009, with the new owners planning to build 66 housing allotments over four stages in the coming years.

It is, of course, not the first of Adelaide’s many treasures fun parks to be closed. Puzzle Park, Magic Mountain, Dazzleland - it seems that people just don’t appreciate a good theme park anymore.

Meg believes that it may be a sign of the changing times, and that we as Adelaidians need to start appreciating the many treasures we have right on our doorstep, before they too are lost to progress.

“In South Australia we are lacking in population and also lacking in people who are willing to get out and utilise all the different facilities we have on offer in the state,” Meg said.

“I mean how many people have visited Kangaroo Island? When was the last time people visited Monarto Zoo? How many people have been to the Sky Rope Mega Adventure Park at West Beach?

“We have all of these things available to us and people are travelling interstate rather than using them. We have to take a good hard look at ourselves and ask ourselves why we aren't embracing them.”

The public auction will be held at the end of May at the Greenhills Adventure Park site near Victor Harbour.

What happens when pure comedy takes human form? What happens when a creature is created and bred to do stand up? Nobody knows because that isn’t a thing. What is a thing is Ross Noble doing a show. You can come and see. This is it.